Note-taking

Taking effective notes in lectures

and tutorials is an essential skill for
university study. Good note-taking allows
a permanent record of key information that
Benefits of you can integrate with your own writing,
and use for exam revision.
good note-
Taking reliable, accurate notes also
taking reduces the risk of plagiarizing. It helps
you distinguish where your ideas came
from and how and what you think about
those ideas.
 Six good reasons to take notes

 Notes are a useful record of key information,

and the sources of that information.
 Notes inscribe information kinesthetically
and help you remember what you heard.
Benefits of  Taking notes helps you concentrate and
listen effectively.
good note-  Selecting what to note down increases your
understanding.
taking  Notes create a resource for exam
preparation.
 Notes taken in classes often contain
information that can’t be found elsewhere.
 Taking notes vs listening: which
is more important?

Benefits of You’ll get most out of

lectures if you do both, but don’t
good note- focus on getting everything down
taking to the extent that you miss what the
lecturer is saying—remember that
actively listening and thinking are
what is important.
 Taking notes vs listening: which is more
important?

Lecture slides are usually an outline of

the lecture content. They guide your listening and
help you identify the key topics and concepts.
Take note of what appears on them, but don’t
Benefits of confine your note-taking to simply copying it.

good note- The information is usually very limited

compared to what the lecturer says, so it’s more
taking effective to
listen to the lecture and take notes from that. Most
lecturers make their slides available before class,
so print
them out and take additional notes in the lecture.
 Taking notes vs listening: which is more
important?

You can think about four times

FASTER than a lecturer can speak. Effective
LISTENING requires the expenditure of energy;
to compensate for the rate of presentation, you
Benefits of have to actively intend to listen.

good note- The key is active not passive; get

involved in the process. NOTETAKING is one
taking way to enhance listening, and using a systematic
approach to the taking and reviewing of your
notes can add immeasurably to your
understanding and remembering of the content of
lectures.
 Before Class:

 Develop a mind-set geared toward listening.

 Test yourself over the previous lecture while waiting for

the next one to begin.

 Read assigned material (SQ3R) or at least S (skim) and Q

Benefits of (question) to acquaint yourself with main ideas, new terms,

etc.

good note-  Do what you can to improve physical and mental alertness
(fatigue, hunger, time of day, where you sit in the classroom,

taking all affect motivation).

 Choose notebooks that will enhance your systematic note-

taking: a separate notebook with full-sized pages is
recommended for each course. You might wish to mark off
the pages in a particular format such as that of the Cornell
System of Note-taking.
 During Class: SIT CLOSE TO SPEAKER

 Listen for the structure and information in the

lecture. Use signal words such as:

“Today I want to cover...” Introduction and/or Title

“Four points...” “Three causes...” Organizational cues

Benefits of “Next I want to discuss...” Change of topic

“I emphasize...” “To repeat...” Cues regarding
importance
good note-
 Pay attention to the speaker for verbal (louder or
taking higher pitched inflections) and body language cues of
what’s important.

 Be consistent in your use of form, abbreviations,

etc. (key your abbreviations).
 During Class: SIT CLOSE TO SPEAKER

 Make a conscious effort to concentrate on what the

speaker is saying. Don’t get sidetracked by:
a. the speaker’s appearance or mannerisms.
b. your emotional reaction to the subject matter.
 Label important points and organizational clues: main
points, examples.
Benefits of  When possible, translate the lecture into your own
words, but if you can’t, don’t let it worry you into
good note- inattention!
 Ask questions if you don’t understand.

taking  Instead of closing your notebook early and getting

ready to leave, listen carefully to information given
toward the end of class; summary statements may be of
particular value in highlighting main points,
there may be possible quiz questions, etc.
 After Class: SAME DAY AS LECTURE (Reduce,
Recite, Reflect)

 Clear up any questions raised by the lecture by asking

either the teacher or classmates.
 Fill in missing points or misunderstood terms from
text or other sources.
Benefits of  Edit your notes, labeling main points, adding recall
clues and questions to be answered. Key points in

good note- the notes can be highlighted with different colors of ink.
 Make note of your ideas and reflections, keeping them
separate from those of the speaker.
taking  A checklist for editing your notes:
 Did you state the main topic of the lecture?
 Are all words intelligible?
 Are symbols and abbreviations keyed?
 After Class: SAME DAY AS LECTURE (Reduce,
Recite, Reflect)

 Is the structure clear? If not, you may need to

rewrite.
 Did you write cue words in the left margin for self-
testing?
Benefits of  Did you miss any points? You may need to
compare notes with a classmate.
good note-  Periodically (Review)
 Review your notes: glance at your recall clues and
taking see how much you can remember before rereading
the notes.
 Look for the emergence of themes, main concepts,
methods of presentation over the course of several
lectures.
 Make up and answer possible test questions.
 Cornell Method

The Cornell Method has been and

remains one of the most popular note-taking
strategies amongst students today. The
technique can be seen above and in the

Note-taking accompanying diagram. You simply divide up

your notes into 3 sections.

Strategies The right column is home to the

general area. This is where you keep your most
important ideas that the teacher has covered
during class. It is important that you try to
summarize as much as possible and to be smart
when note taking
 Cornell Method

The left area serves to compliment the

general area. Writing notes in the margins helps us
understand and relate each part of our notes. This
section may develop during the class itself or at
the end of it.
Note-taking
The last section labelled ‘summary’
Strategies should be left blank during class as it is intended
for use when you are reviewing/ studying the class
notes. This lessens the need to keep up with the
teacher’s delivery and write fast. You should try to
develop a short summary of key points in this
section for greater reflection of the class notes.
 Cornell Method

Note-taking
Strategies
 Split-Page Method

This type of Note Taking Methods

have similarities with the Cornell Method
however it is still a principle unto itself. The
idea is that you divide the page vertically
Note-taking into two sections. A main idea and secondary
ideas.
Strategies The idea is that, while you are
taking notes, you are organizing everything
simultaneously. This method may require
some adjustment at first but in the long run,
it will help you to better optimize your study
time when
using our notes.
 Visual Aids

This method is based on the use of

visual aids to improve how the brain
processes information. It involves using
pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc. Rather than
Note-taking writing long paragraphs of information, our
brain follows the information sequentially.
Strategies The use of colors and other visual
elements such as different sized letters, also
known as supernotes, favors the user.
Because of this, Mind Maps are becoming
one of the most widespread and effective
Note Taking methods.
 Visual Aids

These resources make it possible

to develop ideas and connections easily in
a visual environment. Our Mind Map tool
includes a function that allows you to
Note-taking “Convert to Note“.
This allows you to move all the
Strategies information on your Mind Map to a digital
Note with a single click. Not sure how to
create a Mind Map, take a few short
minutes and check out this handy article
on how to create your first Mind Map.
 Symbols and Abbreviations

No matter which Note Taking

Methods you use to take notes, there will
be times when you cannot keep pace with
the class and your wrist will begin to hurt
Note-taking you from writing. Therefore it is
important that you develop your own
Strategies language of symbols so that you can write
more with little effort. Once the class is
over, you can always “translate” your
notes that you took during class. This will
leave you with your own ‘language’ of
notes.
 Underline Key Points

It’s advisable to underline the

most important learning concepts of the
lesson, as they will stand out more clearly
and you’ll be more inclined to memorize
Note-taking them.

Strategies In addition, the notes will be less

monotonous and you can review them
more quickly, since you can use the
underline parts as a guide and won’t need
to read the entire text every time you go to
study.
 Why Are Effective Note Taking
Skills Important?
 ensures you are actively listening to
Note-taking what the teacher is saying;
 requires you to think about what you
Strategies are writing;
 helps you make connections between
topics; and
 serves as quality review material for
after class.
Thank you!